PA C K A G I N G
CARLSBERG
COLLABORATION
Switching to the packaging solution Nature MultiPack is one of the Carlsberg
Group’s initiatives aligned to the new industry-leading sustainability programme
“Together Towards ZERO” which will be implemented by 2030.
The innovation of KHS subsidiary NMP
Systems, which the brewery group is
now launching as world premiere for
cans on the British market under the
name Snap Pack, combines beverage
cans with adhesive dots instead of shrinkwrapping,
hi-cone and other secondary packaging
solutions.
It’s a well-planned world premiere. “Over the
past three years, we have embarked on a
research and development journey to bring the
Snap Pack onto the market. This will enable us to
significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste
generated worldwide. Last but not least, this
is advancement for a better future,” Carlsberg
Group chief executive Cees’t Hart says. The
brewery group expects that by dispensing with
shrink-wrapping in its can packs, up to 76% of
plastic can be saved – in absolute figures this
amounts to around 1000 tons per year when fully
rolled out.
In the run-up to the market launch, the Carlsberg
Group invested heavily in market research in
order to better understand the wishes and needs
of its customers. The result: sustainability is
one of the most important purchasing criteria
for consumers. Carlsberg then developed its
sustainability programme ‘Together Towards
ZERO’. Its objectives include reducing carbon
emissions and avoiding waste, and the Nature
MultiPack perfectly meets this objective. “It
offers our customers the opportunity to enjoy
a high-quality beer that is also good for the
environment,” the company says.
The Carlsberg group was also impressed by
the packaging solution from NMP Systems in
terms of consumer convenience. It scores,
for example, with the possibility of precisely
orientated cans, meaning consumers can easily
identify the product. This feature offers additional
advantages at the point of sales. “Orientating the
layout of each single can in the Nature MultiPack
creates a so-called billboard effect. This effect
brings a larger visual communication area for
the brand disposed in the shelf,” NMP Systems
senior sales director Christoph Georg von
Aichinger says.
Carlsberg implements Nature MultiPack for cans
as four and six packs, including the carrying
handle. The brewery group launched the
sustainable innovation in the UK last month, and
will roll it into selected European countries in the
next few months.
The market launch was preceded by an intensive
research and development phase. A particular
challenge was the composition of the adhesive
which bonds the filled cans with only a few
adhesive dots to a stable pack. The individual
cans can easily be separated with a single
movement.
“We have succeeded in developing an adhesive
that works in combination with the printing
ink and can lacquer without damaging it.” von
Aichinger says. The market launch of Nature
MultiPack for cans is now the next milestone
for more sustainability in secondary packaging.
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